James Wade has once again proven his remarkable consistency on the European Tour, reaching the quarter-finals of the International Darts Open for the 15th consecutive season. The Englishman, known as 'The Machine', achieved the feat at the event in Riesa, making him the only player to have reached a European Tour quarter-final in every season since the tour began.
Wade's path to the last eight began with a dominant 6-0 whitewash win over Dave Chisnall, followed by a hard-fought 6-5 victory against Wessel Nijman. However, his run came to an end in the quarter-finals against Cameron Menzies. Wade had surged into a 4-0 lead, but the Scot rallied to win six legs in a row, dumping Wade out at the last-eight stage.
Despite the disappointment of letting a big lead slip, Wade's achievement puts him in a league of his own. No other player has reached a European Tour quarter-final in every season. Michael van Gerwen, who has won a record 38 European Tour titles, missed out in the first year in 2012, leaving him on 14 seasons. Dave Chisnall, Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright all sit on 13, while Michael Smith and Joe Cullen have 12 each.
Interestingly, Wade has not won a European Tour title since the European Darts Matchplay in 2016, almost a decade ago. But his ability to consistently reach the latter stages remains unmatched, underlining his enduring quality at the highest level.
